"We’ll have a play and all of a sudden, like out of nowhere, there goes No. 54 (David)," McCoy said. "He’s like a flash."

The Bucs are just hoping David isn’t a flash in the pan. They traded back into the second round to get him with the 58th pick in the draft last April, and he’s been making splash plays ever since.

With nine more tackles during the Bucs' 23-21 loss Sunday to the Eagles, David leads the team with 117 and in the tackles for loss with 17. Making plays, though, is only one part of the former Nebraska standout’s job.

David also is responsible for making defensive play calls. That duty was handled a year ago by Foster, who can tell you first hand just how difficult it is for a rookie to be the quarterback of a defense.

"It’s not easy," Foster said. "It’s hard enough just playing as a rookie. But then you add the play-calling to it, there’s a lot of responsibility there. But he’s doing a good job."

It seems an odd job for David, and not just because he’s a rookie. He is also one of the least vocal players on the team. When he’s not at practice or in a meeting, David usually sits in quiet solitude facing his locker.

“I don’t know why, but I’m just a real quiet guy,’’ David said. “I just don’t talk much. Sometimes it’s not my place to talk, so I just keep to myself a lot. I don’t know where it comes from, but that’s who I am. It keeps me out of trouble.’’

David has been nothing but trouble for opponents this year. He recently added his first career interception to his stat sheet by picking off Peyton Manning. A bigger prize, however, may be awaiting him at the end of the season.

As the NFL’s fifth-leading tackler on a team that tops the league in rush defense, David has a chance to win the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He has easily been the Bucs' most consistent rookie.

Though running back Doug Martin has earned a little more attention in recent weeks, it wasn’t until a month into the season that he began to flash. As his nickname suggests, though, David has been doing that since opening day.

The Bucs aren’t surprised. Though he doesn’t necessarily have ideal linebacker size, the 6-foot-1, 233-pound David has the speed they covet and a physical nature that conjures memories of former Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks.

“He’s a very instinctive player," Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said of David. “If you were playing pickup tackle in the backyard, he’d be one of the first guys you’d take because he’s going to make a whole bunch of plays."

Most of those plays have been made against the run. David has been solid against the pass but not spectacular, his pick of Manning notwithstanding, but the Bucs still believe he’s playing at a level few would have expected.

"What Lavonte has done is, he’s been very consistent from game one on," Bucs coach Greg Schiano said. "He’s made plays every week. He’s really playing at a high level. He’s been very un-rookie-like, if you will, performing very well."